The closest former Newcastle United starlet Mattie Appleby will get to tomorrow night's game against his team Barnsley will be the TV highlights.

For Appleby, who briefly broke into United's first team in the early 1990s, has been frozen out of Nigel Spackman's team.

And it would be too much for the former St James's Park trainee, who played under Ossie Ardiles and Kevin Keegan, to have to sit and watch the Tykes take on his former club at Oakwell in the Worthington Cup.

"I had a double hernia operation last season and to be honest I'm still struggling a bit," said the Middlesbrough-born player, now a central midfielder.

"And even if I had been fully fit I doubt I'd have been involved against Newcastle. I've not been played much recently.

"My last game was the final one of last season at Portsmouth and while we got beaten 3-0 I thought I had a good game.

"But I've not played since and I can't see myself getting a game - which is a problem as I'm 29 years old now and need first-team football.

"I'll probably watch the game on television. I'm not a fan of watching football - I'd rather be playing and it'll be worse for me as it's Newcastle.

"I'm not bitter but I feel I could have been given more of a chance - just as I was breaking through into the first team the club started signing big-name players. That hurt me because I loved it up there.

"It would be my dream to go and play at St James's Park again - unfortunately I missed Barnsley's game there in the Premiership and the FA Cup tie the same season.

"I did play in the 2-2 draw at Oakwell, when we actually took the lead before Keith Gillespie scored twice."

Another Barnsley player with United connections is Carl Barrowclough, son of former St James's Park midfielder Stewart.

The 19-year-old, a winger, will also miss the game as he has only just started training following a hernia operation last month.